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Aston villa proved that possession counts for just nine-tenths of the law, with Crystal Palace grabbing a last minute goal to take all three points away from Villa Park. That’s Villa’s fourth straight loss and Paul Lambert must be having a bit of trouble sleeping at night, particularly now that his side are just three points above the drop. Tony Pulis, meanwhile, is proving his worth at Palace, having pulled his side to just above the relegation zone.

With neither side too adept at scoring, it was no surprise that the first half ended without a single goal scored. Villa enjoyed the majority of the possession, but without either goalkeeper being forced into a save, it mattered little.

Marc Albrighton looked lively for the hosts, combining well with striker Libor Kozák, but the Czech barely threatened Julian Speroni.

On the other side, Yannick Bolasie came closest for Crystal Palace, but his shot from about 20 yards went wide.

While the hosts had the majority of the possession, they failed to make very much of it. And Palace refused to give up, continuing to press for all three points until the very end.

That pressure paid off in stoppage time. Just a few minutes after Jordan Bowery, on for Kozák, had his shot tipped over the bar, the visitors pulled out the winner.

Two of Pulis’s substitutes paired up to create the goal. Dean Moxey sent the ball out to Dwight Gayle, who did well to curl his shot into the top corner — and to lift his side out of the relegation zone.

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Newcastle hadn’t lost at Selhurst Park since 1984 before Saturday’s trip to South London… and they never looked in danger of losing that superb record.

Two first half strikes, courtesy of Yohan Cabaye’s cool finish and a Danny Gabbidon own goal, put the Magpies in a commanding position and despite Crystal Palace’s endeavor to get back into the match, a late Hatem Ben Arfa penalty kick sealed a 3-0 win for Newcastle.

Tony Pulis’ Palace were outclassed by an energetic and clinical Magpies side in the driving rain and swirling wind as horrendous weather hit England’s capital. It could have been more comfortable for the away side, but their sixth win in their last eight games sent them within three points of the top four. Palace remain in the relegation zone but are just one point from safety.

It will be a very Merry Christmas for Alan Pardew and the Toon Army up in the North East.

An even start to proceedings at Selhurst Park as the Eagles held firm despite a few dangerous set pieces from the Magpies.

Loic Remy was looking sharp up top as Newcastle aimed to hit the Eagles on the counter-attack but Pulis’ men were looking solid and organized.

However splendid play from Moussa Sissoko on the right saw him beat Dean Moxey and then pull a perfect ball back for Cabaye to stroke home a calm finish on his return to the starting lineup.

But Palace didn’t hide after going behind as Cameron Jerome forced a good stop from Tim Krul and from the resulting corner Barry Bannan’s in-swinging cross was nearly bundled home for an equalizer.

Then a moment of madness came from Gabbidon in the 39th minute as Matheiu Debuchy’s right wing cross was going out of play and no Newcastle forward was around, but Palace’s defender launched himself at the ball and deflected the cross into his own net to put the Magpies 2-0 up.

Following the break Julian Speroni made a terrific stop from Cabaye after his 30-yard free kick swerved all over the place and the Italian ‘keeper adjusted his body well to keep the effort out.

Newcastle looked more likely to extend their lead than Palace mounting a fight back, with the Eagles struggling to create much going forward as the Magpies looked strong and composed in possession.

In the 62nd minute Palace came close after Yannick Bolasie’s right-wing cross found Marouane Chamakh but the striker headed wide after he rose highest in the box. With the final 10 minutes approaching, Newcastle went forward and in-form attacker Yoann Gouffran curled a powerful shot off of Speroni’s right hand post as the Magpies aimed to seal yet another win.

A rash challenge from Jonny Parr on Shola Ameobi saw Neil Swarbrick point to the spot in the 86th minute, as Ben Arfa stepped up to smash the ball home and round off the scoring.

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They might not be out of the danger zone just yet, but Crystal Palace can be forgiven for looking a bit smug about the hiring of Tony Pulis. Palace beat West Ham on Tuesday and now have brought in another three points, leaving them behind the Irons in the standings due to goal difference. Dare they dream of a win against Chelsea next time out?

The hosts started things off quickly, scoring after less than ten minutes had passed. It was Cameron Jerome, getting his head on the end of a cross from Jason Puncheon, who put Palace ahead at the expense of his former club. With the early lead for Palace, the question quickly became: can this new Pulis side hang on and defend?

But even when forced into an early save — Adrian Mariappa replaced Dean Moxey in the 25th minute thanks to injury — the hosts, playing Pulis-ball, stayed strong. In fact, they were even able to double their lead before the hour was out. Marouane Chamakh pulled off his second of the week, after scoring the winner against West Ham on Tuesday. The forward got his foot on the end of a cross from Barry Bannan to slot the ball into the bottom right corner, doubling the hosts’ lead.

It must be said that things looked mighty grim for the visitors. Only the new goalline technology system prevented Crystal Palace from getting a third, as it looked like Jerome had managed to get the ball over the line once more. Cardiff, meanwhile, could barely get close to goal. Could this task prove not so impossible for Pulis?